Tag Archives: Tracy Krauss
Cultivating a Love of Writing by Tracy Krauss
Consider the Future I grew up in small town Saskatchewan, surrounded by a sea of grain fields and nurtured by an agricultural mindset. To make a living as a farmer, one has to have tenacity in the face of uncontrollable obstacles. Grain prices fluctuate, markets can collapse, and nobody but Jesus can control the weather!… Read more »
Accountability Accountable by Tracy Krauss
Accountability. No matter how I try to sidestep this particular word, it keeps coming to me as I ponder my goals for 2017. A friend posted one of those “fun” activities on Facebook where people are asked to comment. I don’t often participate in these types of things, but this one sounded interesting. It asked… Read more »
It’s Just Fear Talking by Tracy Krauss
My colleagues have posted some excellent articles this month dealing with common ‘writerly’ fears and how to overcome them. Nothing worth doing comes easily or so it seems. So it makes sense that this also applies to the writing life. To quote writer Jeff Goins, “Do it afraid.” Good advice. Some of the best learning… Read more »
Summer Productivity All Year Long by Tracy Krauss
For many writers I know, summer is a time for slowing down, relaxing their schedules, or even taking a writing hiatus altogether. Not so for me. As a public school teacher, summer vacation is my time to ramp things up. Inevitably, I set pretty lofty goals for myself. While I don’t always meet every objective,… Read more »
Mrs. K’s Rules of Comedy by Tracy Krauss
Break the Tension Humour goes a long way in writing and in life. There is nothing like it to break tension and make people feel comfortable. However, we’ve probably all been witness to a joke gone bad. Either the punch line wasn’t delivered correctly, the timing was wrong, or it was inappropriate for the setting…. Read more »
Begin with a Brain Dump by Tracy Krauss
It has to start somewhere. Your next writing project, I mean. There you are, sitting in front of your computer with a lovely blank white screen, ready to start that epic novel, lyrical poem, or profoundly wise article. How do you begin?
Adding Colour—Literally by Tracy Krauss
As an artist as well as a writer, I know the importance of colour. Yet I’ve read a few manuscripts with a distinct lack of it. Rather than “fifty shades of gray,” perhaps we should be looking for fifty words to express exactly what we envision.
A Sabbatical, Not an Excuse by Tracy Krauss
The book of Ecclesiastics tells us that there is a season to every activity. We are all familiar with the “list,” but nowhere does it say, “A time to write and a time to refrain from writing.” Still, God Himself provides us with a cyclical example by resting on the seventh day. It is reasonable… Read more »
A Three Act Sandwich by Tracy Krauss
Building a Sandwich You may be familiar with the good old sandwich analogy. Take two pieces of bread—the beginning of the story and the ending—and layer the rest of the ingredients in between. This is the basic three act structure that fits almost every kind of fiction, no matter if it’s a play, a short… Read more »